Two Paths
by ohmytheon
Summary: Ochako confronts Shigaraki after his decision to kidnap Bakugou blindsides her. They're a team, aren't they? So why is he keeping things from her?


**Notes:** Yesssss, now others are getting involved in this mess. Originally this was supposed to be more cracky with Uraraka meeting the new League members, but then shit got too serious and it didn't fit. That will be for the next entry in this series. Tomura adores and trusts his little sister, but sometimes his protectiveness comes off the wrong way. It doesn't help that her relationship with him gets more complicated the closer she becomes with the others in her class.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my own ridiculousness.

* * *

Ochako swept through the warp gate like the perfect storm, rage and danger swirling around her and lightning glowing in her eyes. She couldn't remember ever being so infuriated in her life. The only reason Tomura didn't flinch as soon as she appeared was because the rest of his merry band was right outside the door. She latched onto her fury, clinging to it like it was the only thing keeping her from drowning, because if she allowed it to slip for even a moment, she would succumb to the fact that she wasn't solely furious.

No, what Ochako truly felt was pain. She was hurt, wounded, upset. She felt betrayed by one of the three people in her life that she had always trusted.

"Do you think it's a good idea to come here right now?" Tomura asked blandly. He was calm. That was good, seeing as how tense things were right now. He was growing as a leader. She wanted him to succeed; she wanted to see him become a better version of himself. She saw the same potential in him as her father did, but he had a habit of completely squandering it over temper tantrums when things didn't go his way. The whole Stain situation was a good example, but he'd started to move past that.

Unfortunately for the both of them, the last thing Ochako felt was calm. She wanted to explode. Oh how the tables had turned.

"I think you owe me at least a few explanations," she replied tartly, clenching her fists at her side. She wouldn't get so angry that she'd activate her quirk on herself, but she was half in mind to slap him and send him floating out the window for being such an ass.

"It was a delicate situation," Tomura said. "We had to take extra precautions."

Ochako pointed at her bandaged leg. "One of your new little followers attacked me! I nearly had to take her out!"

Tomura's eyes flickered to her wound. She watched as a disgruntled look crossed his face. He did not doubt that she could handle herself, especially after she'd decided to learn more about hand-to-hand combat, but he had so far been careful in keeping her mostly out of harm's way when the League crossed paths with her class. There had been about a dozen ways she could've died tonight, all of them directly tied to the fact that she'd been alone and completely blind-sided.

"An unfortunate consequence," Tomura decided on saying. "Are you alright?"

"Once again, I'm deeply traumatized by the experience, but I'll persevere in my goals to become a hero," Ochako replied dryly. Tomura snorted over the comment. There were days when she couldn't tell if he was amused by the irony of her situation or loathed it entirely. She knew that he didn't like her being stuck with all the people that he hated the most, especially All Might, but it had been all a part her father's plan and they didn't question him. The attack on the U.A. Training Camp had been Tomura's plan though and she could still question him. "Were you planning on introducing me to the new members or do I have to dodge them every time?"

"I wasn't sure if they could be trusted completely with your position in U.A.," Tomura pointed out. "I couldn't risk one of them outing you in case they weren't ready or completely devoted to our cause."

It made sense, which made Ochako even more upset. By keeping the new League members in the dark about her status within the group, it made the attack much more credible. No one would question her when she'd been hurt by one of the villains. It was a smart move, but not the one she was really upset about.

"And?" Ochako asked.

"It would be detrimental at this point if you were caught in the crossfire because they're unaware," Tomura said.

Ochako folded her arms across her chest. "Good to know I'm little more than potential collateral damage." She turned her head away from him, hot tears stinging her eyes. She hated it when she got emotional in front of him. Normally she was the calmer one of the two. He had a habit of flying off the handle when something triggered him, but she was an angry crier and knew it. She felt things differently than him. He said it came from being raised like a normal person. It made her soft.

She heard Tomura sigh and then felt a hand on her shoulder, four fingers carefully touching her. "'Chako-"

"You lied to me!" Ochako exploded, smacking his hand off her and glaring up at him. "You told me that the attack was just meant to scare and deal a severe blow to U.A.! You didn't tell me that it was a kidnapping mission!"

Tomura held his rejected hand in the air as he stared down at her. "I couldn't risk you getting more involved."

"More involved?" Ochako swept a hand down herself. "How could I not get more involved than this? Between that psychotic girl, half the forest on fire, and the nerve gas I'd say I was pretty damn involved!"

"I know you're...fond of the boy-"

"Fond?" Ochako's pitch jumped an octave. " _Fond_?" She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath in an attempt to reign in her temper. It wasn't often that she lost it. Tomura used to tease her when they were little by poking the pink spots on her cheeks repeatedly until she blew up, but then he'd just laugh at her about how _cute_ she was when she was angry. "You have no idea what I think about Katsuki Bakugou - which is the whole point. You didn't even discuss it with me! If you did, maybe you'd have a better idea of who you're dealing with."

Tomura produced a folded up picture from his back pocket and flicked it out to her between two fingers. "I think I know exactly who we're dealing with."

She snatched the picture and opened it up. The sight still choked her up. It was a terrible picture: Bakugou muzzled and chained up on the podium like some sort of wild, vicious animal that was days away from being put down if he didn't stop. She hated it because of what it represented. Hero society didn't care about heroes; they only cared about appearances. Bakugou would do well to remember that if he wanted to become a hero. Otherwise, well, he'd get mistaken for a villain. She knew all too well that appearances were everything.

No one thought she was capable of being in the League, after all. Bakugou hadn't even considered her a threat until that meteor shower during their fight. She longed to feel that again - that rush of allowing herself to be who she truly was instead of this cute, little doll that everyone saw her as. Tomura didn't think she was fragile and neither did Bakugou.

It didn't make them anything alike though, treated poorly and looked down upon by society as they were.

"He's not who you think he is," Ochako said distantly, staring down at the photo. "You'd know that if you had just asked for my opinion."

"Oh, and who is he?" Tomura asked.

"He's not…" Ochako folded the photo up. "He's not a villain. He'll fight to the death before he joins you."

Tomura snorted. "A stupid decision."

"He's third in the class," Ochako replied, "but he's stubborn to a fault about his pride and goals. He'll take a fall before he does anything to damage that." She handed the photo back to him and he took it, sliding it back into his pocket. "He's a total ass, egotistical, and his temper is worse than yours, but he hates villains more. He thinks they're weak."

"We still captured him," Tomura said.

"At the cost of three villains, two of which were A-ranked," Ochako pointed out. She shook her head. "He's not going to take the bait. You don't understand. He's _still_ angry about the USJ Incident. There's no convincing him."

Tomura regarded her as he idly scratched his neck. It was difficult to not stop him from the compulsive habit, but as long as he wasn't digging into his skin with his blunt nails, she let it go. It was only when he started to hurt himself that she ever intervened. They all had their little ticks, but she didn't like it when he drew blood. She would nervously play with the pads on her fingertips until he'd snap at her to stop or hold a hand over hers.

"Do you want to see him?" Tomura finally asked.

Ochako paled a little. "N-no, I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Why not?" Tomura questioned in a curious tone. "He seemed to enjoy your little rumble at the Sports Festival and you said that you two were on better terms now."

"Because if it doesn't work, then my cover is blown," Ochako responded hotly.

Tomura shrugged his shoulders. "Not if we kill him. I mean, I'd rather not - he'd make an excellent asset - but your position in U.A. is more important."

Ochako opened her mouth to protest and then snapped it shut. He was trying to rile her up so that he could gauge her reaction. Her position was important, but it left her vulnerable in his opinion. Maybe he didn't trust her. After being around all those heroes and heroes-in-training, maybe he thought that she was losing conviction in their goal. If converting Bakugou didn't work, they would have to resort to violence. If Tomura thought that she was against it in any way, he'd start to wonder where she stood in this war.

She was on the League's side. She was on her father's side. She was on _Tomura's_ side, as she'd been since she was born and he had held her in his arms.

But no, she didn't want Bakugou to die either. It wasn't his fault that the heroes had treated him so poorly that even Tomura had felt sympathy for him. She knew what people said about him. She also knew that if anyone should think that Bakugou was villain material, it was Deku, who had been abused by him for years, and yet it was also Deku who had tried to save his life despite both of his arms being shattered. It was that conviction alone that made Ochako believe that Tomura's plan was faulty. He didn't know the Class 1-A kids like she did.

They were her...friends.

Pawns, but friends nonetheless. Tsu had put her life on the line to save Ochako. There was a chance that Ochako wouldn't be here to berate Tomura if not for the other girl, simply because he hadn't wanted to risk her spot as the U.A. mole. Was she little more than a pawn to Tomura as well? Was that what they all were in the end?

 _Maybe you have been around those hero wannabees too much,_ Ochako thought worriedly.

"Seeing me will only enrage him and push him further away from us," she said out loud.

Tomura nodded. "Best not to push his buttons. I'd like for this to remain civil."

Ochako snorted. "Fat chance on that. He's going to try to bite your head off the second he gets a chance."

A part of her hoped that Tomura was right. Maybe he could convince Bakugou to join them. After all, she hadn't missed what everyone said about him, especially after their fight. Even pro heroes had considered his behavior to be shameful and more villain-like. His meltdown on the podium had only furthered it. Not to mention his violent and aggressive behavior that isolated him from others and pushed people away. It did remind her of Tomura in a way, although he'd never been as arrogant or loud.

It'd be nice to have someone else on her side. She adored Tomura and Kurogiri had been there for her since joining the League, but she often felt alone in this whole thing. They had the League, but being at U.A. left her even more stranded than before. It took her away from Tomura and her father. Sometimes she went days without hearing from them, which made it easy to fall into the false sense of security and warmth that U.A. and her classmates provided.

She'd struggled with that growing up, but she could always tell herself that the two people raising her worked under her father. Any feelings of warmth that had developed between them rested under a line of lies. It was different at school. Everything was so genuine that it left her reeling. People cared about her. She'd made friends in order to get situated in the school so no one would suspect her. Tsuyu, Iida, Deku…

Ochako forced herself not to react when her mind landed on him. Deku. Why hadn't her father told her about him? Why had she been raised under him and not Deku? What made them different? Was it their quirks? He was so much more powerful than she was. She had to get stronger. She had to get better. She couldn't disappoint or let him or Tomura down.

Maybe, if Bakugou joined them, she could grow even faster. He was strong. She could take advantage of that.

"Do you want to meet the others now?" Tomura asked, giving her the option to make her own choice.

Ochako glanced warily at the door. "There's a lot going on. Maybe it's best to do it later." She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. "I promised to meet everyone at the hospital to visit Deku and Momo. It'll look odd if I'm late or don't show."

Tomura held out his hands. "We all have our appearances to keep up."

She lifted her eyes to look back at him. As usual, he had the hand on his face. He kept it on there more often than not these days, even when only in Kurogiri's or her company. She thought it belonged to his father - his biological one - but she'd never asked, not even the day she'd picked it up and given it to him to cover his face so no one would see how upset he was. The sight didn't bother her as much as one thought it might. She didn't need to see his full face to know how he felt. He looked confident and at ease. She hoped, for his sake, that it wasn't wrong. It would be nice for him to get a win.

"Please be careful," Ochako told him. "Every hero is on high alert after Bakugou's kidnapping."

"Of course," Tomura replied. He smiled behind the hand on his face, the action pulling on the cracked skin around his lips. She really wished that he'd take better care of himself, but knew better than to comment on it. "U.A. will no doubt be called into question. How can the top hero school produce heroes to protect the public when they can't even protect themselves?"

"You've certainly made people ask questions that haven't been brought up before." The first step to taking down hero society meant forming cracks at the foundation. They had known that it would mean attacking right at the start. That meant targeting students. It was a nasty business going after kids, one that she didn't particularly like, but her father had explained it to her years ago. She had a duty to follow.

The smile fell from Tomura's face. "There will probably be talks about a traitor amongst you. I'd be wary."

"We may have to keep contact to a minimum for a while," Ochako said.

"I know." He didn't like it, but what he liked didn't matter.

Ochako turned on her heels. "I'll keep you updated if anything happens on my side." She paused and stared at the warp gate that Kurogiri produced for her. On the other side was her shoddy apartment. As Tomura had said, she had appearances to keep up. That wasn't what she was thinking of though. She couldn't get the echoes of Deku's broken scream out of her head. It wasn't just Bakugou's reaction that she was worried about. "I've got a bad feeling that something is going to happen."

"Funny how our roles are switched," Tomura mused. "I'm used to you being the positive one."

Wasn't that the truth? Peering back at him, Ochako added one last time, "Don't do anything else rash," before she stepped through the gate and appeared in her apartment.

The gate closed behind her, leaving her alone with nothing but her thoughts in the silence. There were pictures hung around the apartment of her with her fake parents and classmates. None of the kids from her class had come over to her place, but she had them up, just in case. It looked like a normal apartment that someone struggling financially could come up with. Sparse decorations, used furniture, cheap food. It didn't bother her, living like this, even when her father used to spoil her whenever she got to visit him.

She didn't have any pictures of him, Tomura, or the others that she'd grown up with. To be honest, she wasn't even sure if any existed of her with them. Cameras didn't exist in that part of her world. They couldn't have any evidence of a connection between them. No one could know of that life. There were no ties, no strings. The only thing they had were the burner phones Kurogiri got her and even then their numbers were saved under innocuous contacts. It wasn't like she could call Tomura up whenever she liked. It wasn't like she could talk to him whenever she felt alone, down, or scared about her position.

Taking a breath, Ochako held up her hands and looked down at her palms. That was her connection to Tomura. Her hands and the pads on her fingertips where her quirk lied, just as his did. He had taught her how to interact with the world all over again when her quirk had manifested. He'd been the one to give her mittens to sleep in when she'd started to activate her quirk on herself in her sleep, only to wake up puking and floating in the air. He'd destroyed so many things in his sleep before doing the same. She had trusted him to help her.

She had to trust him now, but it was hard. This wasn't like a game when they were kids. The stakes were real. The consequences could be worse than either of them imagined. If something went wrong, they could die. Like when her father had been near fatally injured by All Might five years ago. He was still strong, but he'd never be what he had been before. Tomura's time was coming sooner than later. She had to have faith. She had to be strong. And yet…

 _I hope you know what you're doing,_ Ochako thought. She couldn't help but feel like she was standing on a precipice, but she didn't know what was at the bottom. She'd always thought she had known and now she wasn't sure. The only thing she did feel was that she was alone. She had a responsibility, as Tomura did, on two separate paths with the same finish line. All she could hope to do was meet him there, but the longer the race went on, the more she was worried that the distance between them grew and she didn't know what to do to fix it.


End file.
